Corn cleaning and sorting machine



A. STERNAD.

CORN CLEANING AND SORTING MACHINE APPLICATION FILED OCT. 24. 1919. RENEWED AUG- l8. 1921.

1,399,412, Patented Dec. 6, 1921.

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' AJSTERNAD. CORN ELEANING AND SORTING MACHINE. I APPLICATION FILED OCT-24, 1919. RENEWED AUG. 1a, 1921.

Patented Dec. 6, 1921.

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Patented Dec. 6, 1921.

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A. STERNAD.

CORN CLEANING AND SORTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FiLED OCT. 24, I919. RENEWED AUG. 18,1921- 1 399 4 1 2 Patented Dec. 6, 1921.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW STERNAIL' OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CORN CLEANING AND SORTING MACIEINE.

Application filed October 24, 1919, Serial No. 333,0

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW Srnnnnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn Cleaning and Sorting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to corn cleaning and sorting machines and has for one of its objects the provision of simple and efiicient means for grading corn. Another object is the provision of a simple and efficient machine for washing corn and for removing foreign material from such corn.

A further object is the provision of a simple and efiicient machine for sorting corn and for catching the sorted parts and conveying such parts to separate piles or places for removing the same.

A still further object is the provision of a corn sorting and cleaning machine which will remove silks and other materials sticking to the corn.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

An embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in whicli Figure 1 is a plan view of a machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one side of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the other side of the machine;

Fig. 4 is a rear end view of the machine; and

Fig. 5 is a front view with a part of the covering broken away to expose underlying parts. 7

In the drawings I have indicated a machine having end castings 6 joined together by side bars 7 and top rails 8. This provides a simple and efficient frame, but any suitable form of frame may be utilized when so desired.

At the front end or receiving end of the machine I provide a hopper 9 having two side and one end walls. The corn is adapted to be deposited in the hopper by any convenientmeans, such as an endless conveyor, not shown. In the bottom of the hopper I provide a plurality of bottom bars 10, which in the present instance are shown as being substantially semi-cylindrical, see 3. and mounted in any convenient manner, such as Specification of Letters latent. i Patented'neafi, 1921.

18. Renewed August 18, 1321. Serial No. 493,465.

having its ends mounted on castings 11, one of which is indicated in said Fig. 3. The bars 10 have upwardly extending narrow straightening members 12, one on the top of each bar 10. The arrangement is such that when the corn falls on the parts 12 they will tend to straighten out and fall in between said parts onto bars 10, and since the latter are oval or upwardly tapering, the corn will straighten out until the ears'are substantially parallel with each other and also with the bars 10.

The bars 19 are preferably spaced aparta suflicient distance to permit the smaller ears of corn and foreign material to fall through such spaces 13 and to prevent the larger ears, which are the ones it is desired to use, from falling betweenthe bars 10. In use I find that about one and one-quarter inches (15,7) is the proper distance between the members 10, although this distance may be varied to suit di'lferent requirements.

At the rear end of each of the bars 10 I provide a roller 14 which has its forward end journaled in one of blocks 11 and its rear end journaled on bearing members 15, see Fig. 1. Each of the rollers 14: has a shaft 16 disposed under a bottom member 10, as clearly indicated in Fig. 3. At the front end of each shaft 16 isa gear 17, see Figs. 2 and 5. The gears 17 are connected to a'driving gear 18 by intermediate gears or idlers 19 and arranged sothat all of the gears 17 and rollers let rotate in one direction. This causes the corn when passing longitudinally over said rollers to be rotated without any tendency to squeeze or pull the corn through the rollers. Any other driving means may be provided when desired to effect rotation of the roller The dicated at 20 in Fig. -2, and may be supplied with a quantity of lubricant for lubri-" eating the bearings at the ends of the rollers when so desired.

Thespace 13 between each pair of bars 10 extends on between the corresponding rollers 14 and under each of said spa es 13 is a channel bar 21 with guides or side arts 22 reaching up closeto the bars 10 anc rollers 14 so that material dropping through said spaces 13 will fall into channels 21. On ea h channel 21 is an endless conveyor 23 and the conveyers pass over sprocket wheels or pulleys 24. One set of spro ket wheels 2 1 is secured to a shaft 25 for driving the endless conveyers and the other set of pulleys 24 are idlers and mounted on a shaft 26 journaled in bearings 27. The bearings27 are preferably mounted with bolt and slot connections 28 so that the shaft 26 can be adjusted with respect to shaft 25. On each of conveyers 23 is a plurality of arms 29 which are of suflicient length to reach up through spaces 13 and engage corn on the tops of bars 10 and rollers 14 and move such corn longitudinally through the machine. Since these arms are attached to the conveyers 23 they will also move the smaller earsv which have fallen through spaces 13 intochannels 21 through the machine.

At the ends of rollers 14 are provided members 30 which. are of substantially the same size as the rollers 14 and reach over the sprockets 24 at the delivery end of the machine so as to carry the good corn beyond where the. small corn will. be de osited. These members may be provide with notches 31when so desired for connection with suitable conveying means, not shown,

to carry the good corn away from the machine.

At one endof shaft 25 .is a driving pulley 32 and an idler 33. for transmitting power to said shaft. At the other end of said shaft 25 is a pair of beveled gears'34 which transmit power to a shaft 35, and the latter shaft carries gear 18 which transmits motion to the gears 17 and rollers 14.

On each side of the machine are pivoted a plurality of levers 36 pivoted as at 37. The lower ends of the levers have rods 38 connected thereto with weights 39 attached to the-rods. At the upper ends of the levers 36 are bearings in which the journals 4U 01 rotary brushes 41 are mounted. The brushes 41 and their mountings are preferably a little heavier than the weights 39 so that the brushes tend to move downwardly toward rollers 14 in order to exert slight pressure on the corn while washing and cleaning the corn. At the ends of the brushes 41 and adjacent the upper ends of levers 36 are end castings 42 which have adjusting screws 43 therein for varying the distance between the bottoms of brushes 41 and the tops of rollers 14. The screws 43 permit adjustlng the brushes so as to permit more or less pressure on the corn, and also permit adjustin to accommodate wear of the brushes. n the members 42 I provide substantially semicylindrical sheet metal. coverings 44 which inclose the upper edges of the brushes and permit the latter from throwing water and other materials about in their rotation. At one end of each brush 41 I provide a gear 48. The gears 48'areconnected with idlers 49 to a gear 50 on shaft 25 and arrangedso that the brushes are caused to rotate.

Disposed along one of the top bars 8 I provide a water pipe 45 which has a plural- 'sirable manner. Each pipe46 is provided ity of branches46 reaching down and across the machine between the brushes 41. These cross pipes 46 may rest on toprails 8 when so desired, or be supported in any other dewith horizontal openings or nozzles for discharging water horizontally toward the brushes41 and also Wlth, openings or nozzles extending downwardly to direct water toward the rollers 14. At the front end of the machine and above the hopper is a cross pipe 47 which has its openings directed downwardly and diagonally toward. the hopper so as to direct water onto the corn in the hopper and beforeit reaches the rollers 14.

In use corn is deposited in hopper 9 and straightened out by the members 12 where the smaller ears and foreign material loose on the corn fall through into channels 21. The larger and better ears are moved along on the tops of members 10 and rollers 14 and out of the machine over members 30 by the parent that the water also'falling through the openings 13 will be directedto the channels 21 and carried out of themachine also.

As the corn passes along the rollers 14 the brushing efiect of the brushes, together with the discharge of water from the nozzles effectively cleans the corn and removes all silks, loose shucks, and most of the wormdirt, and the like, from the corn.

I' claim arms 29 on the conveyers 23. It will be ap- 1. In'combination, a plurality of rollers adapted to having, spaces therebetween permitting the passage of small. ears of corn and foreign material between the rollers and hold larger ears of corn 011 the rollers; and means for washing said larger ears of corn 011 said rollers.

2. In combination, a plurality .of spaced rollers means for driving said. rollers; means for moving corn longitudinally of the rollers; and means for discharging water on said corn while the latter is being moved 7 along said rollers.

'material dropped through said spaces; and

arms on the conveyers extending up from the conveyers through said spaces for moving corn along on said members. V

5. In combination, a plurality of corn grading members having spaces therebetween; channel members disposed under said spaces; guides extendingup from the edges of said channel members to the grading members endless chains running on the channels; and arms on the chains extending up between said spaces for moving corn on the grading members.

6. In combination, a plurality of spaced parallel rollers; a plurality of corn grading members at the ends of said rollers having their upper surfaces corresponding in shapes and sizes with said rollers, the spaces between the graders extending on between the rollers; substantially thin upwardly extending straightening members on the tops of the grading members; an endless conveyer under each of said spaces and substantially below the rollers and grading members; and arms on the conveyers extending up between the grading members and rollers and adapted to traverse substantially the entire lengths of said spaces.

7. In combination, a plurality of parallel rollers; means for rotating said rollers; and washing means above the rollers adapted to wash corn on said rollers.

8. In combination, a plurality of parallel rollers; means for rotating said rollers; means for moving corn longitudinally of the rollers; and means for washing the corn as the latter is moved along the rollers.

9. In combination, a plurality of substantially parallel rollers; means for rotating said rollers; means for moving corn longitudinally of the rollers; rotary brushes above and disposed across the rollers; and water nozzles between the brushes and adapted to discharge water on corn as the latter is moved along said rollers.

10. In combination, a plurality of parallel rollers; means between the rollers for rotating said rollers all in one direction; means for moving corn longitudinally of the rollers; and cleaning means consisting of rotary brushes and water nozzles adapted to discharge water onto and brush the corn as the latter is moved along said rollers.

11. In combination, a plurality of substantially parallel rollers; rotary brushes above the rollers and having journals at their ends; levers having bearings engaging said journals; members associated with saidjournels adjacent said bearings; and screws threaded in said members for adjusting the distance between the rollers and brushes.

12. In combination, a plurality of substantially parallel rollers; rotary brushes above the rollers; levers with bearings in which the brushes are journaled; weights connected with the levers for balancing the weight of i channel walls and above the centers of said rollers.

14:. In combination, a hopper having a plurality of bottom strips upwardly curved in cross-section on their upper sides and spaced apart for grading corn; comparatively thin straightening members extending up from the middles. of the bottom strips; conveyers under the hopper for conducting away materials which fall through the spaces between the bottom strips; and means for moving corn longitudinally of and from the bottom strips.

15. In combination, a plurality of spaced rollers; rotary brushes mounted above the rollers; water nozzles above the rollers and adapted to direct water toward the rollers and brushes; channel members under the spaces between the rollers with sides extending upwardly toward and under said rollers; and endless conveyers running in the channels with arms extending up above the centers of the rollers.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification on this 16th day of October, A. D. 1919.

ANDREW STERNAD. 

